This invention is directed to the removal of paint such as enamels and lacquers from organic and inorganic surfaces, including the removal of nail polish from human or animal fingernails and toenails.
The problem to be solved according to this invention is the formulation of VOC compliant compositions for use in the removal of paint.
American air pollution regulations limit the amount of organic solvents that can be discharged into the atmosphere. The term used for solvents is "volatile organic compounds" (VOC). A volatile organic compound (VOC) is defined as any compound of carbon that has a vapor pressure greater than 0.10 millimeter of mercury at a temperature of twenty degrees Centigrade and a pressure of 760 millimeters mercury.
"Volatile organic content" has been defined as the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC) liberated from a coating as determined by ASTM D3690 and EPA Reference Method 24, which are standard industrial tests. Under the definition, a volatile organic compound is any compound which enters the atmosphere and photochemically reacts in the atmosphere with nitrogen oxides to reduce ozone and form photochemical smog.
Reduction of VOC has been mandated in several American states, and regulations in the state of California, for example, require less than about 180 grams of volatiles per liter of product to enter the atmosphere. This can be determined by baking ten grams of a product in an oven at one hundred-ten degrees Centigrade for one hour. The amount of solids which remain is subtracted from the total of the ten grams which was tested. Calculations are based on the weight of the volatiles that have evaporated, which is reported as grams per liter.
The United States federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified many volatile organic compounds present in consumer products such as common solvents ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, kerosene, and propylene glycol; and hydrocarbon solvents such as isobutane, butane, and propane, which are often employed as propellants in industrial and consumer products.
Some American states, including California under the auspices of the California Air Regulation Board (CARB), have proposed standards which would limit and reduce the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOC) permitted in various consumer products, such as chemically formulated products used by household and institutional consumers. These regulations cover products such as detergents; cleaning compounds; polishes; floor products; cosmetics; personal care products; home, lawn and garden products; disinfectants; sanitizers: and automotive specialty products.
These CARB type standards would effect such widely used consumer products as shaving lather, hairspray, shampoos, colognes, perfumes, aftershave, deodorants, antiperspirants, suntan preparations, lotions, breath fresheners, and room deodorants.
Thus, the problem of legal compliance and the need for new and novel formulations and techniques for reducing organic emissions, should be more than apparent.